Bereczky Erzsébet (szerk.): Imre Madách: The Tragedy of Man. Essays about the ideas and the directing of the Drama (Budapest, 1985)
dr. Ferenc Kerényi: A Dramatic Poem from Hungary to the Theaters of the World
a half hours with only one intermission, In his version, Röbbeling made a clear distinction between the biblical framework scenes and the historical visions and also created the choreography of the crowd scenes. The role of Adam was played by Paul Hartmann, who, in spite of being the theatre’s leading romantic actor, portrayed not Adam, the romantic hero, but Adam, the struggling man. In contrast, Marie Eis’Eve was utterly feminine. The seventy-yearold Otto Tressler represented an older school: his Lucifer was passionatly demoniacal. As for the scenery, Röbbeling used raised platforms throughout as well as inclined planes in several scenes. Captivating light effects were also devised and the mechanized world of the Phalanstery was emphasized by revealing the stage lights incorporating the technical equipment into the setting. Independently öf Röbbeling, Árpád Horváth staged the most up-to-date interpretation of the Tragedy in 1936—1937 in the eastern Hungarian city of Debrecen. Earlier, as the director of the National Theatre, his original interpretation of the Tragedy led to clashes with the state-appointed supervisory head fo the theatre. In Debrecen Horváth used a revolving stage 13 meters in diameter, and achieved symbolic, monumental effects by using a raised platform system and a circular curtain. He also engaged a large choir and a chorus for the narration as well as a great number of extras. Horváth also used light effects to demonstrate Adam’s repeated awakenings from his historical dreams, a feature borrowed from his teacher, Sándor Hevesi. Between 1935 and 1944 the staging of the Tragedy was entrusted to Antal Németh, the manager of the National Theatre. Németh had studied in pre-Hitler Germany, had acquired great knowledge in modem dramatic arts and scenery techniques but had also been influenced by cinematography in many respects. He aimed to make his performances flow smoothly and had a liking for the monumental; he availed himself often of revolving stages and projected scenery. When Németh was appointed director of the National Theatre, he was given a free hand in the hiring of actors and he built up the best company the National Theatre had ever had. Since he was at the same time the director-in-chief of the Hungarian Radio, he could indeed pick his cast from among the 28
